BRITAIN: Rainbow Flag Flies Over Government Building For First Time

As Pride London collapses in a morass of infighting and financial problems, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has ordered that the rainbow flag be flown over a government building for the first time.

“There has to be a first time for everything,” said Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrat party. “Flying this iconic flag in the heart of Whitehall is a small but important emblem that the government and this country are behind equal rights,” added Clegg, whose centrist party is junior partner in a coalition led by the centre-right Conservatives. The striped rainbow flag was raised over the Cabinet Office, the ministry responsible for coordinating central government.

Andrew Belonsky notes that Pride London is beseeching the city government to prepare for the expected large crowds despite the cancellation of most events.

To create a safe and incident-free event for revelers in Soho, Westminster Council will need to close key roads and uphold parking suspensions in the area. Because we couldn’t provide the assurances required to pay the council for these closures, the application did not progress. As a result we cannot guarantee a safe and secure event for the community in Soho and we’re forced to cancel all official Pride London events for this reason. The partying will no doubt still carry on and bars and clubs [will be] extremely busy. However, normal licensing rules apply. We urge that revelers enjoying post-Pride in Soho keep their wits about them and stay safe.